Tearing Down The Wall Of Sound

Over the course of that day, Spector spoke with extraordinary candour about his life and career; his mercurial rise to become the most successful record producer of the sixties; the genius which had been both a blessing and a curse; his creation of a sound never before heard in music; his trademark 'Wall of Sound'; his fragile mental state and his years on the brink of insanity.

'I've been a very tortured soul', said Spector. 'I have devils inside that fight me.' The interview with Spector appeared as a cover story in the Telegraph magazine on 1 February 2003. Twenty-four hours later, a fading Hollywood actress named Lana Clarkson was shot dead in Spector's castle. Phil Spector was immediately arrested, and later released on $1m bail to await trial.

Tearing Down the Wall of Sound is Mick Brown's personal odyssey into the heart of the strange life and times of Phil Spector. Beginning with that fateful meeting in Spector's home and following the unfolding of the Clarkson case, up to and including his trial for murder, on the way recounting the story of Spector's life and career - one of the most extraordinary and compelling stories in the annals of pop music. For the first time in 25 years, Phil Spector - legendary record producer, recluse and demented control freak - sat down on a sofa in LA and gave his first interview to Mick Brown. Here it is...